TGEN CLINICAL Research Services at Scottsdale Healthcare has announced the start of a clinical trial for a drug designed to combat adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare but deadly cancer that attacks the adrenal glands.
TCRS is a strategic alliance between the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Scottsdale Healthcare.
Other than surgery, the only treatment for ACC is the exacting use of a compound called mitotane, a chemical relative of DDT, which the U.S. banned as an insecticide in 1972.
TCRS clinicians hope the new compound, OSI-906, developed by OSI Pharmaceuticals will stop ACC tumour growth without the toxic side effects of current chemotherapies.
TGen says the trial will focus on patients with inoperable tumours who have relapsed or failed to respond to conventional therapies.
This clinical trial of OSI-906 is expected to last several years and include 135 patients, with 30-40 enrolled at TCRS.
The adrenal glands are responsible for making several critical hormones, including cortisol, which the body needs in order to respond to stress and which helps to maintain normal blood sugar levels in children.
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